Banana Peel
by ms. tomato
Summary: Rimu hitches a ride with the Straw Hat pirates in her attempt to escape. With this, adventure is sure to follow! But will accepting her as a nakama be their mistake? rating may change. LuffyxOCxSanji
1. Chapter 1

**Well, my first One Piece fanfiction.**

**[ . . . ] I obviously don't own it.**

**I'm not very good at summary/synopsis/whatever. So, here goes nothing:**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

It was another one of those days in the Grand Line. Sanji had already stocked up, Ussop had done the necessary repairs, and Nami's lock post was ready. It was time to kiss land goodbye and set sail again. The sky was not exactly cloudy, nor was it clear. It was just like any other afternoon when the sun reaches out to touch the horizon, tickling the heavens pink. As if running paint, the reddish tone bleeds into the ocean, reflecting the sun's bright rays in a muddled fashion.

"Let's go!" Luffy, sitting on the sheep-like head, pointed towards the endless horizon. Sure, getting on an island once in a while was fun, but he would always want to go back to the seas. She was free. She was serene yet volatile, beautiful yet dangerous. In short, the sea smelled pretty much of adventure. Especially when you're in Grand Line.

The anchor was lifted up, and Going Merry had parted herself from the port of the island. Like any other sailing day, the Straw Hat crew went back to their usual musings. Luffy thinking about dinner, Sanji in the kitchen, Zoro taking a nap, Nami making sure they were on the right track, Robin reading her books, and Chopper listening to Ussop's outrageous lies in awe.

The sound of a roaring engine put an end to what seemed to be like a peaceful afternoon.

A dark shadow could be seen soaring in the sky. It was somewhere between the port and the ship, and the shadow just got bigger and bigger.

A loud crash sounded on the deck of Going Merry. The whole crew was both in confusion and shock, Ussop and Nami in particular, as they took care of Merry's repairs and its cost. Fortunately, the floorboards were still intact. A few dents here and there, and marks that seemed to be tire tracks.

Zoro was the one who recovered first. "What shitty business do you have with us?" His hoarse voice demanded an answer, his hand tightening on one of his katanas.

"I-I'm sorry if I caused a ruckus." An unexpected stammer came from the motorist who boarded the vehicle. "Please, please..Take me away from here. J-just leave me at the next island."

Nami raised an eyebrow at this. It was very suspicious, and a rather peculiar happening. Who would beg to be taken into a pirate ship. Was she going nuts?

The motorist, who happened to be a girl, caught the movement of Nami's eyebrow. "Here." She took out her rucksack and poured all its contents out. A small mountain of rainbow-coloured jewels formed on deck. "Is this enough compensation? It's just about all I have."

This pleased Nami.

"Oi, captain, what do you say?" The starry-eyed navigator started investigating the sparkly stuff.

"Its not like we can put her back to the port." The long-nosed liar pointed out. The ship was quite distant from land by now…

"We can still throw her overboard." Zoro shrugged.

The girl cringed at this. 'They really _are_ pirates…' she thought.

"Ne, Luffy…" Nami reminded their captain to make his decision.

Apparently, Luffy was too busy ogling at the vehicle. Which was a shiny red motorcycle.

"UWAAA. THIS IS SO COOL!"

Nami smacked the back of his head, "Luffy…" Her patience was growing short.

"Can I have this?" The straw hat boy hugged the shiny vehicle and got a nod as a reply. She didn't reall have much of a choice though. Anything was better than getting thrown into the ocean.

"YOSHHHA!" He screamed in happiness.

xxx

After a while, the crew lost all of its 'shock' and went back to what they were doing. Ussop was now with Luffy, poking at their new found toy. The girl just stood awkwardly on deck.

"Hey, what is this?" Ussop asked out of curiosity.

"It's a motorcycle." The girl replied, walking towards the two. The fear in her system was starting to fade away. These pirates did not seem too bad after all.

" I'm Luffy, captain of this ship! I'm going to be the King of Pirates!" He introduced himself rather enthusiastically. "What's your name?"

"Nice to meet you. Call me Rimu." She smiled a little.

"I'm Captain Ussop!" The long-nosed boy announced, in his fancy pose.

This got Rimu a bit confused. _'Who was captain anyway?' _But she left that question unanswered.

Ussop had noted that there were several vehicles like that in the last island. If they could attach one of those motors to the Merry, it would be very convenient for sailing, but it would be hard on the repairs. It was a "Concrete Jungle," according to the girl, which was quite true. She tried to explain how the vehicle worked, powered by gas and all. However, she wasn't so sure, because it was not hers, to begin with.

"Why were you so much in a hurry then?" Ussop asked.

"Pardon?"

"I mean, you wanted to leave so badly, you didn't even mind getting a pirate ship."

"Oh." She replied. "I know it isn't the smartest choice, but I had to get away from a few people that were… chasing after me." Rimu tried to make herself sound as convincing as possible. She wasn't so sure if it worked though. Both boys seemed to buy it anyway.

The three of them played around with the motorcycle. Luffy wanted to try it, so Rimu taught him how to get it working. Luffy finally got the engine roaring to life, which backfired on Ussop, who was checking out the wheels at the back. The three of them just laughed, while the boy was cleaning off the soot on his face.

"DINNER TIME." A voice called from the kitchen.

"UWAAA!~" Luffy was gone, like a flash of lightning.

Ussop invited Rimu to have dinner, who was quite surprised at the hospitality of these pirates. It seemed unusual to her.

xxx

"What a beautiful maiden to join us this evening." The blonde cook swooned at the additional member of the dinner table with hearts in his eyes. "What should I call you, my angel?" Sanji took her hand in his, trying his best to look like a prince charming. The poor girl, however, did not know how to react. Her face remained blank; her lips were silent.

"Shut up you shitty cook." Zoro glared.

"You're scaring our guest Marimo-head!" Sanji glared back.

Soon, the two were at their routine colourful banter. The table was alive, screaming and snatching of food was going on all over. Dinner was always so much fun.

Rimu just wandered on deck , afraid to go into other people's personal space and get reactions like the green-haired man had shown. She was quite scared of Zoro, actually.

It was already night time, and Rimu sat down, thinking back to how her day had gone. Since nobody else asked her why she was so desperate to "get away," she put into thought that Ussop might have relayed that message for her. _'Not too bad. I never thought I was so lucky. Haaa. As long as I won't get caught back there…' _Her thoughts were put to a stop as she felt the presence of another person beside her. "Hi Luffy."

"Hi Rimu." He smiled at her. "Saa.. would you like to be my nakama?"

"Nakama?" She asked, as if she had never heard of the world before.

xxx

In the women's cabin, there was a new addition to the decor. A pile of jewels graced the navigator's mapping table.

"Hey, Robin. Don't you find that girl a bit peculiar?" Nami asked while sitting on her bed in deep thought.

The raven haired woman raised her eyes from the book she was reading. "She is. Her name does not ring a bell, but I think her face looked quite familiar." Robin turned her head to face the deck, as if her eyesight can penetrate through the wooden walls.

* * *

**Is it just pure luck that this girl landed in a rather.. friendly pirate ship?**

**Why is Luffy asking her to be his nakama in such short notice?  
**

**Why does Robin find her so familiar?**

**Why am I asking you? o__o" (i know, im lame...)**

**Anyway, please tune in to the next chapter! And everything will look less bland and generic. And I will work on my dialogues. Because my dialogue-ing sucks. :I**

**Please point out typos, just in case my proof-reading missed a spot.**

**Thank you! Please review so I know whats good or bad about this. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

"_Hi Rimu." He smiled at her. "Saa.. would you like to be my nakama?"_

"_Nakama?" She asked, as if she had never heard of the world before._

"Nakama," Luffy repeated, "Come join my crew." Rimu thought that the expression on his face showed utmost sincerity. It was that, or he was just looking like the simple-minded idiot that he really was. It was probably the former though.

"Eto, Luffy-san, I don't know how I can possibly benefit you, as a part of your crew." Rimu said. Her politeness somehow had taken the captain aback, so he still kept his face as is. "I mean, what part can I play?" She tried to explain, because somehow, she interpreted Luffy's facial expression as one of confusion. True enough, the Mugiwara crew had all that it could need. Nami was a competent navigator, Sanji was a fantastic chef, Chopper was a good doctor, and Ussop did more or less what a shipwright should carry out. What was an extra person to do? Besides, they hadn't met for even 24 hours, and she was just hitching a ride… "How do you even know that I'm not a bad person?" The girl blurted out. She was still hesitant on accepting Luffy's invitation.

"I trust you." He said simply.

"Trust?"

"Mhmm." Luffy nodded. "You also trusted me, so you gave me that." He grinned and pointed to the red vehicle parked on the deck of the ship.

"Oh." Was Rimu's curt reply. Never had she met someone who was so simple, so happy, and easily trusting. But that did not mean that she would join the crew. It was definitely not on her to-do list. She only surrendered her ownership of the motorcycle because she didn't want to get on some pirate's bad side. And this pirate, according to her observation, didn't even seem to have one. Her reply, or the lack of it, told Luffy that she was in need of more persuasion.

"You can help around in the ship," the captain said, answering her previous question. "Ussop might need someone to help him clean up and repair the ship. I'm sure that Sanji also wouldn't mind you lending him a hand in the kitchen." Luffy ended his statement with another grin.

'_Somehow, this boy smiles a lot…_' Rimu can't help but think.

"Let me think about it?" Her tone sounded like she was asking for permission, not as a statement. "Until we reach the next island."

"Okay."

The two remained sitting on deck, staring at the open sea…

"Luffy-san," her polite words filled the quiet air, "won't you be sleeping?"

"Nahh. I'm guarding the ship tonight," he said. "What about you? I think there's some space in the women's cabin." He stuck his thumb in the air, pointing to the door behind.

"Ah," was the only phrase that escaped her lips. '_I don't want to bother that lady…_' She thought for a moment. "The deck's good enough for me." Rimu tried to give back a reassuring smile.

xxx

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Rimu woke up to a rhythmic sound that echoed in her head. Or rather, the floorboards under her head. The girl let out a yawn as she stretched her arms out, and ran them through her messy blonde hair that looked like tresses of whipped cream at the moment. Quickly looking around, she found herself on the deck of a pirate ship, the boy wearing the straw hat was on the other side, laying flat on the deck, snoring. Seems like all her good luck wasn't just a dream after all.

"Ah. Rimu-chan, did I wake you up?" It was smooth and suave. Ear candy. The girl turned her head towards voice. It came from tall blonde man whose eyebrow was swirly at the tip.

She politely shook her head and smiled a little, although it was an outright lie. But what was she supposed to say?

"Ah. Ano… Captain-san said you could use some help in the kitchen?" She suddenly remembered the duty assigned to her.

It bothered Sanji a bit. He was not sure if it was all that politeness, asking for permission to help, or Luffy giving such a nice, kind girl a job as dirty as the kitchen helper. Maybe it was the latter. Not that he didn't like cooking, _ of course he loved it_. Not that the kitchen was a dirty place, _because it wasn't_. The idea of being the cook's helper wasn't the most attractive one. It meant peeling potatoes and cleaning up after everyone has eaten. Not every girl wanted to do the Cinderella kind of job. Not that he would mind her company. No, he thought that he wouldn't mind it at all.

"Sheesh, that captain," Sanji had slight scowl on his face, looking at a figure past the girl. She looked in the same direction as the blonde cook, at the straw-hat-wearing boy sprawled on the other end of the deck, snoring. Not that he'd complain though…

xxx

People say that the best way to make friends is over meals. _Making_ meals is another way, too.

"So… Rimu-chan," Sanji decided to start, since he doubted the girl to be the type to start conversations, "Why were you being chased?"

"Oh." She looked up from peeling apples, and continued to shave the fruit from its red skin. "I guess I'm rather _wanted_ in these parts. Haha." Her laugh was a bit shallow, "I guess being a pirate, you should have an idea."

"Ahh…" The cook was beating pancake batter. That topic seemed a bit touchy, so he decided to switch to a new one. "Have you heard of All Blue?" It was Sanji's universal introduction question.

"I've heard of it. Isn't it some kind of magical sea of some sort? I've only read about it …" She sounded unsure, and encouraged the man to enlighten her on that topic. Sanji, being his All Blue-loving self of a cook, rambled on about what he knew about All Blue. The girl, having read about it from books, did not mind hearing the same information all over again, seeing the great amount of excitement in the cook's eyes. It was a rather engaging conversation as they exchanged imaginative thoughts and ideas about the so-called fairytale sea and how it probably was. He would say about what he was told, and she'd say what she'd seen in the great number of encyclopedias and atlases that she has read, accompanied by descriptions of what the "funny fish," as Rimu put it, should look like.

Sanji was now frying the batter along with the apple that Rimu had diced. "You seem to have read a lot." He observed from their previous talk.

She nodded, seated on one of the chairs. "Mm-hmm. Sometimes there was nothing to do at home, and I would just wander off in father's library…"

Despite concentrating on making breakfast, the cook failed to dismiss the way her sentence ended. It was a bit stiff, like she blurted out something she was not supposed to.

"Ahh, Sanji-san. Would you mind if I could go out for a bit of fresh air? You can always call me in if you need some help." He gave her the go signal, and she casually walked out the kitchen, not forgetting to push her chair in. He noticed that too.

The blonde pulled the ash tray towards him and put out the cigarette he had been smoking all morning. "You should have just said so." He mumbled to himself, a small smile played on his lips. Tact, class, and good manners; where exactly did this girl come from?

Sanji called everyone in for apple pancakes. Breakfast went as per normal.

The cook announced that the new member of the ship helped in preparing the meal. The entire crew was grateful, or put an effort to look as if they were. Rimu was silent, occasionally giving smiles and only talked when she was being talked to. Rather shy, isn't she?

She waited for everyone to finish eating, and helped Sanji clean up. The man did the dishes while she wiped the table. (It desperately needed of wiping. Everyone knows what happens when Luffy's pirating side gets the best of him when it comes to food.)

"We won't eat you, you know." Sanji said, back turned against her, still washing dishes and cutery.

"Pardon?" Rimu looked up.

"You should talk more. It's like you're scared of us." He sent her a peripheral glance.

"Haha…"

xxx

Nami was basking in the sunshine while reading the paper. The bounty section, to be exact. She always liked to check on that part, not only because money was included. She liked to update herself with other pirates that they might meet, and how much the bounties on their own heads were. It was the numbers. Nami loved them.

Her eyes skimmed through the paper. "Nothing interesting. Blah, blah…" She thought to herself. The rates were still the same…

"Eh?" There was one particular poster whose bounty shot up by at least ten to twenty percent each week. It was not a wanted poster, but a reward for finding a person. Or in this case a child. It was a little girl with short wavy hair in a sundress. She seemed to be standing beside what seemed to be a Christmas tree that was cropped in the photo. Nami thought that it would have been beautiful, if it weren't in sepia. "Cheap newspaper printers…" she muttered, "poor parents, though…" She read at the bottom:

_Cream Parfait.  
Reward: B125,500,000.  
Report to King Mars.  
Cocktale Castle, Banana Spit._

The navigator corrected herself, "_Rich_ parents…"

A loud voice echoed, despite the ship being out in open waters, "LAND 'HO!" Luffy screamed at the top of his bottomless lungs.

Smiles could be seen from each crew member's face. Especially Rimu's, if she were a part of the crew to begin with.

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**Hi guys. Finally finished this chapter off. Thanks to all you readers who faved/alterted/reviewed. I really appreciated it. **** I was quite amazed at the good feedback I got, despite the quite crappy first chapter. :D**

**I would love it if you guys reviewed! Haha. It would totally make my day and make me update sooner. (It kind of peels me away from school stress. Damn that. **** ) Also please do criticize and point out errors if you find any. I don't mind. It's actually better that way. :D**

**Do tell if some parts don't make sense. I'd be happy to explain or even edit out that part to make it clearer. Hahaha.**

**I'm getting better at this! I can feel it! Sanji was so fun to write. Although I didn't do any of his ero-cook hearts-in-eyes scenes… yet. The next chapter should prove to have some more plot in it. Also more character actions and Rimu'd be less mysterious. If she even is.**

**I am so original. I like eating Mars bars. :D (The caramel content is high. Oh yum!)  
And just in case you don't know, a spit is a geographical landform. Its hard to explain in a short and non-boring way, so you can just google out some photos.**

**HOPE YOU LIKED IT AND PLEASE REVIEW LAHH~!**

**(I finished this at 1:09 am on Thursday. Yay for school tomorrow…)**


	3. Chapter 3

_A loud voice echoed, despite the ship being out in open waters, "LAND 'HO!" Luffy screamed at the top of his bottomless lungs._

_Smiles could be seen from each crew member's face. Especially Rimu's, if she were a part of the crew to begin with._

It was a tropical island. The sun shone brightly, making the orange (yes, orange) sand sparkle, and the dancing green leaves on top of coconut trees glisten in silver glory. The breeze was cool, and the blue waves calmly washed over the shore in an unending, monotonous, yet relaxing fashion. But from the distance that the ship was at, the island only looked like a shining dot. Nevertheless, it was land. It seemed that the captain was a bit overexcited.

A sense of giddiness fell upon the Going Merry while its crew was unaware. They were still about several hours, or perhaps even a night away, but Sanji was starting to check on supplies, Ussop and Luffy dreaming of untold adventure, and Nami going on to "loan shark" mode. Rimu was still in the kitchen, continuing with the dishwashing, as the cook absentmindedly left the soap suds and eagerly went off to see how food stocks were doing in the fridge. Perhaps this was how the crew really acted before they reached an island.

After putting that last piece of silverware on the drying rack, the blonde wiped her hands dry on her white oversized tee and decided to have some sunlight. Out on deck, the weather felt really nice. The sun was shining lazily and the wind was blowing softy at her hair. She just stood there, taking as much blue from the sky as possible. Who knows, she might not be able to see this kind of spectacular view sometime soon.

Something caught her eye, cutting her musing short. It was something pink: a colour that she never really liked, but some shades of it were forgivable. It was something small on a corner. A pink –hat, so it seems—that has some sort of Christmas deco attached to it. Rimu had always had a fascination for funny hats. She walked closer, and her hand extended forward, inching closer and closer to what seemed like fluffy pink fabric.

Poke.

Blue eyes turned to her direction, followed by a deafening high pitched shriek.

The girl screamed as well, while running backwards, tripping on her own feet, and landed on her bum with a rather loud thud.

A rather awkward silence ensued. Followed by the reindeer and the poor blonde staring at each other, mouths still wide open, just out of voice. They stood still, just like that.

"Oi, what happened here?" Luffy curiously asked, after hearing the screaming. No response. "Eh? Are you playing a game?"

xxx

The long-nosed liar managed to stumble on the scene. "What's this?" He chuckled at the scene that was in front of him.

"Shh! Usopp! We're playing a game!" Luffy told his crew-mate off in a hushed voice.

Xxx

"Hey, shitty cook, take a look at this."

Zoro and Sanji managed to kick sense back into the kids, and get them back to normal, if they ever were even, to begin with.

"I'm sorry about what had happened just now. I'm Rimu." The blonde extended her hand for the pink-hatted creature to shake.

"I'm sorry too. I'm Chopper." The reindeer shook back.

She apologized about not noticing him before. Chopper replied that it happened quite often, given his size, and that he was not as loud as the others. The doctor hadn't been out much in the previous few days. He had been hooked on doing research that Sanji had delivered the food to the men's quarters.

The conversation was rather pleasant. The doctor was so surprised that the girl was knowledgeable about several topics that he could never have discussed with any of the crew, save Robin.

She held Chopper's little hoofed hand in hers, fiddling with it randomly. The small creature didn't seem to mind, as he was never really given this kind of attention by anyone else. "You know, I used to have a pet with feet just like these," Rimu mumbled.

"Really? How was it like?" Chopper was intrigued. A reindeer for a pet was a bit unusual. A talking reindeer who studied medicine is a bit unusual too.

"I named her Chacha, after watching this show called Akazukin Chacha when I was five. She was a grand little thing. Her fur was so soft, and such a nice shade of brown." Chopper urged her to continue.

"Then? How is she now?"

"When I grew older, I played with Chacha in the gardens a lot. Sometimes we would run so fast that the governess would just scream out in defeat." Rimu gave out a hearty laugh, as Chopper laughed along with her. Reminiscing the past felt kind of good.

"How is she now?" Chopper asked, even more curious.

"Oh, she's not around anymore." Rimu blurted out. The smile in her lime green eyes seemed to have faded away. "One Christmas day, I couldn't find her, and went to ask my governess. She pointed to the dining table."

Silence.

There was a smile on her lips, but Chopper could see that her eyes were fighting the urge to cry. He, however, was in shock. It was such a cruel thing, having one's friend made into dinner. What more if that friend was his kind. He suddenly thought of the captain wanting him served on a hotplate with a generous amount of gravy, but shrugged it off. Luffy was never that kind of person.

"Then I never spent another Christmas in that house," she finished the story off. She looked up at the sky for some time, and then back at Chopper, giving him that it's-okay smile.

Something about that last sentence bothered the little guy, "How many Christmases have you missed, then?"

Rimu opened her mouth. And closed it. Her face looked like she wanted to slap herself for something. Before she could actually say a word, the cook had called "Rimu-chwaan" in to help him prepare lunch. She waved goodbye to her new friend and went into the kitchen.

Xxx

"I see you've made good friends with Chopper," Sanji said, handing her the bowl of leeks to be washed and chopped.

She look the vegetables, 'He's a fine little fellow. I wish I had met him earlier."

"And what do you think of our captain?"

Rimu looked up at Sanji, "Oh. He seems rather nice and welcoming. With a very large appetite, it seems." She ended the sentence with a chuckle. No doubt, everyone that came across Luffy liked him. Even Sanji did.

They entertained each other with small talk. She found the cook's story about life in the Baratie rather interesting. Especially about the assistant cooks and the chef-in-charge that was like a father to the man. She also listened to the story that got Sanji to be part of the Straw Hats. Rimu found herself smiling throughout the whole conversation, and found herself admiring the captain more.

"So, how was your life before you got here?" Sanji was curious to know the story behind the rainbow coloured jewels and the red motorcycle.

"Well, I've just been island-hopping with ships here and there. I worked odd jobs to get money, and even… steal," somehow, that word was so hard for her to spit out, "things… Like that bike. And now I'm here."

"Odd jobs?" Curled brows furrowed. Sanji was not sure if he should be concerned, or was he just thinking the wrong way.

Somehow, Rimu understood that look. "It's nothing like that!" She was frantically waving her arms, knife in hand, in defense.

"Oi, oi! Careful with that!"

"I cleaned houses, kitchens, served in coffee shops, answered phone calls, ran… random errands… those kind of things." The cook took a glance at her feet, which were only clad in a pair of flip-flops that looked like they were about to die. She _had_ been doing a lot of running. Somehow, it never occurred to him that Luffy's slippers had never been in such a condition.

Right after lunch, she went and had a seat out on deck, to enjoy some fresh air, her feet dangling off the ship, in between the railings. As someone sat beside her, Rimu turned to look. It was no other than the captain. "Hi," he greeted. The girl nodded back, a small smile on her lips.

"I can't wait to get on land!" Luffy declared, "I have to try your red thing!" he pointed his thumb to the motorcycle that was parked on the deck.

Rimu just chuckled. "I can imagine."

Luffy had his signature smile on. He somehow noticed how different the girl was from their first meeting. She was rather scared. Hostile, even. Now, the laidback feel of the crew has rubbed off on her. And he noticed something that he hasn't before. "Your hair looks like the whipped cream Sanji puts on his cakes."

"Eh!" Her face was… well, she didn't know how it looked like.

Luffy just nodded. "It's so creamy and fluffy. And big," he made a hand gesture that was synonymous to an afro. (Which her hair was nothing like, by the way)

"Hah?" The girl suddenly became conscious of her appearance, and was brushing her hair down with her fingers in a panicked manner.

"Hee hee hee," Luffy snickered, "You're funny." Rimu, with hands still tangled in her wavy locks, shot back a feigned but exaggerated hurt look. The boy laughed even more. "Hey can I touch it?" He proceeded to do so, since Rimu didn't give any complaints.

"EH! IT FEELS LIKE WHIPPED CREAM. I WONDER IF IT TASTES LIKE IT…"

"HAAAAH?"

Xxx

"So you sit here… yeah… and when you want to start, turn this thing… step on this thing… hold on…" Rimu was giving Luffy instructions on how to use the vehicle, since he was just so excited about it. Chopper and Ussop were watching at the side, giving the ooh's and the aah's. "Just do that and she's ready to go," she finished off, giving the red motorbike a slap.

"Like this?" The engine suddenly roared to life. In a split second, splinters of wool could be found in the air. The vehicle had ran through the railings, and was now in mid-air. "YAHOO!" A pair of fists pumped in the air.

The three just stood there. Mouth gaping wide.

Chopper was the first one to recover. "Luffy! You can't swim!" He shouted right on time, as physics was about to have its way.

Human reaction is a bit slow. By the time the boy's hand was only inches away from the Going Merry, the mass of heavy metal had already pulled him down to touch the salty waters.

"Luffy!" The three said in unison. For some reason, no one else's attention was caught. They were probably doing their routine: drunk in mid-day, mutilating vegetables, and shut up in the room reading.

Chopper was panicking, and Ussop's legs were shaking to no end.

_Can't swim…_ The blonde's mind processed Chopper's words. Instinct took over her body as she jumped down to retrieve the ship's captain. She got him (hat included) on time, and got back on board. No damage done, except some maintenance here and there.

Dinner came around, and the kitchen was how it usually was: noisy.

Night fell shortly. Luffy found Rimu seated on the deck again. "Thanks for saving me."

"My pleasure."

_My pleasure? That answer sounded a bit off, like it was memorized. Maybe the girl is still putting on a façade. _Sanji was eavesdropping from the crack of the kitchen door.

"I was right about having you as our nakama." He flashed his million-dollar grin, expecting a friendly smile back. However, the gesture was not returned. Rimu just sat there, face a bit troubled, a bit confused.

"There must be a misunderstanding. I am not your… nakama…." She murmured.

Luffy was confused as well. "But you helped Sanji out this morning." He was referring to their previous deal: that she was part of the crew because she had been given a role.

"That was to pay for your generosity, the meal expenses and for taking up space." Her answer was curt, straight to the point, but it still sounded pleasant.

_No wonder she still kept all her manners, and still didn't want to talk much._

"Eh? You had fun, didn't you? With me, Chopper, and Ussop? Sanji is a fantastic chef! Robin is nice. The other two might need some getting used to." For some reason, he really wanted this person in his crew. Maybe it was because her hair was funny. Maybe it was because she had saved his life once; even it was just so simple. Maybe it was because he had a gut feeling that things would get better with her on the ship. Just like that afternoon. "Don't you like it here with us?" The voice sounded a bit pained.

"_I just stayed here for a few days. What's up with this?"_ The girl can't help but be even more confused. Maybe she just didn't want to trust anymore. Especially pirates. But maybe she could make an exception just this once?

"_What kind of bad soap opera is this?"_ The man behind the kitchen doors thought. _"I can't take this anymore."_ He stepped out, suede shoes clanking on floorboards, as if calling for attention. "Go to bed, Luffy. Tonight's my turn." He ruffled raven hair, and pushed him away.

"Haii." Luffy stretched his arms out to yawn. He could still pester the girl tomorrow. It's not like she can leave.

"So, how has the Going Merry been treating you?" The blonde man took a drag from his cigarette.

"She has been a great host."

"Then why won't you stay?" He took another drag.

"Sanji-san," she said, "it is rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations."

He gave a shallow chuckle, "I was curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Riu retorted. Her voice was like a schoolteacher's, but the cook could tell that she was not as serious as she sounded. "Can we change the topic, please?"

The cook gave a sigh. Some shell she's got. He's having a hard time to crack it open.

"Don't you have to wake up early tomorrow morning for breakfast?" the girl inquired. It was getting very late.

"You have to get up early, too." He replied.

Rimu just silently nodded off.

"You can take my hammock," Sanji almost said, but stopped himself. He was about to offer her a bed in the men's quarters.

"If I remember correctly, Nami said you can stay in there with them," he said instead.

"Nah." She shrugged. She wanted to say that she didn't really enjoy Nami. Not when her eyes scrutinize her every movement, and the way she glares at her. Somehow, she could imagine Nami in the shape of a shark that would eat her up. Instead, she just told Sanji that she was shy.

He knew better than to buy that anyway.

"How old are you this year?"

"Sixteen, I think," she replied. "It doesn't help when you've missed too many birthday and Christmas parties." She let out a tired laugh.

"Go to sleep." He ruffled her blonde tresses.

Xxx

The next morning, the orange sands were so much nearer. So much more visible than the small glittering dot that it was the day before. The ship was anchored at the port by noon. Nami had shopping assignments out, such as for ship maintenance and food. The crew was happy to be finally walking on land again. Right before the straw hats were going to venture in this new island, Luffy stopped in his tracks, getting one last look at the sea and her magisterial beauty.

"Luffy, let's go! What are you doing?" his navigator called.

"I'm going to miss the sea." He did not know how true those words were. He had no idea that he would be away from the waters for a long, long time.

**I'm not very sure if Sanji's shoes are suede, but I just wanted to use that phrase. **** Its so Elvis. Haha.**

**The last few paragraphs are so half-assed. I'm sorry.  
Long update compensates for writing incompetency.  
(That makes long, incompetent writing. Isn't that even worse?)**

**Anyway, thanks so much for the reviews! There's the reason for Rimu's immediate action on helping out with the ship.  
****Glad you guys liked the random sweet-themed thing.**

**If you didn't see it. That was a failed attempt to insert Chopper into the story. I had totally forgotten about the little guy! Until it occurred to me that he will play quite an important part in the story. (I think I shouldn't have put robin instead. I don't have anything important for her to do. She can run off with Zoro. HA. HA. HA.)**

**I think there are plotholes that I missed. Please tell me if you happened to fall in any. **

**I SURE WOULD APPRECIATE REVIEWS! THANKS GUYS.  
Feel free to comment and critique. :)  
Ask, even, if you like. **

**I'm so excited about writing the next chapter! Expect it by next week or so. :D  
BE INTRIGUED BY THE NEW ISLAND. WHAT DOES IT HAVE IN STORE FOR OUR HEROES?  
GET A FASTER UPDATE BY REVIEWING!**

**(lol. I sound like tv shopping network!)**

**random note: 1:50am! I totally didn't do any homework. Muhahaha.  
random note 2: the teacher didn't collect the unfinished homework. yay! **


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